Start Of Something New
by aarrimas
Summary: Some days all Lee wanted to do was disappear. To vanish completely with no trace left behind. Today was definitely one of those days. For the HPFC Dialogue Wheel.


Disclaimer; Nothing that you recognise belongs to me, I am just borrowing these characters. For the HPFC Dialogue Wheel, "You'd be fine if you just tried a little harder to think positively."

Some days all Lee wanted to do was disappear. To vanish completely with no trace left behind. Today was definitely one of those days

Fred and Angelina had a big date today, their six-month anniversary. The thought of the two of them holding hands and staring into each other's eyes lovingly, made Lee's stomach churn and chest constrict. He was jealous, painfully so. You would've thought after six months of dating, Lee would've gotten used to it, but he hadn't and he didn't expect to anytime soon.

Logically Lee knew that he never had a chance with Angelina. She was too pretty and too talented for a bloke like him, not to mention she said he reminded her of her brother, which was never a good thing to hear from your crush. But every time he saw her, her slim face framed by her dark braids, he couldn't help but smile and give it a go.

But there was Fred, Fred with his broad shoulders and wonky smile. Angelina and Fred had been a thing since the end of fourth year and it didn't take long for Fred to seal the deal. You would've thought that since Fred and him were best mates and all that he would've noticed just how deep Lee's feelings ran for Angelina. But he never did, or at least he never showed it.

So Lee was in a mood, a mood that he didn't expect to go away. At least not until Fred and Angelina broke up, which Lee didn't expect to happen anytime in the near future, at least not by the way the two of them were going.

He sighed and slumped down into his chair, pressing the side of his head against the cool windowpane. It was a Hogsmeade weekend and even though Lee didn't feel that happy, he couldn't pass up an opportunity like this.

He was in the Three Broomsticks, all alone in a booth in the corner far away from prying eyes. His dreadlocks were tied in a bun that sat at the bottom of his neck and his dark eyes that were usually so full of life looked dull and dead. He was tired, and not the type of tired that could be cured by some sleep.

The door swung open and in came Alicia, a dark blue scarf wrapped around her neck that was almost as big as she was. Her usually dark cheeks had gone red from the cold and were just starting to return to their normal colour.

She surveyed the room twice before spotting Lee, and once she did, she stormed towards him, each step filled with purpose.

"Jordan, fancy seeing you here." A massive grin was planted on her face and her voice was way too merry for Lee's ears to handle.

"What do you want Alicia."

She frowned slightly before shrugging her shoulders and taking the seat across from Lee. One by one, she removed her items of warm clothing – including the abnormally large scarf – and was left in just a long stripy shirt and jeans.

"It's rather toasty in here, don't you reckon?"/span/p

Lee nodded, the Three Broomsticks had a massive fireplace that lay in the corner and it was constantly in use, especially on days like these. He wasn't in the mood for small talk though and made no attempt to continue the discussion further.

"I heard about Angelina and Fred."

Out of all Lee's friends, Alicia was definitely the most observant. She always knew when someone was upset or having a bad day and she always knew just how to comfort them. Right now though, it seemed to be more of a curse than a blessing.

"It's great isn't it. They both seem pretty happy at the moment; I just hope it stays that way." Despite Lee's cheery remarks, the tone of his voice was anything but. He didn't put much effort into hiding how he truly felt, he didn't have the effort to.

Alicia's eyes were full of sympathy and she sighed so softly that Lee could barely hear her.

"Lee it's okay to be sad," she whispered, "you know that right? You don't always have to be that happy-go-lucky guy all the time especially not around me; you know I won't judge you."

Lee nodded lamely before looking away and turning his face towards the ground. Technically, he knew that what Alicia was saying was right, that no one would judge him for being himself and expressing his emotions. But being the funniest guy in Hogwarts – which he was, everybody knew it and there was no point denying it – came with a lot of expectations, expectations he couldn't always live up to.

"It's just hard you know, seeing them together. Like why wasn't I good enough for her?" Lee paused, his voice so soft and raw that it pained Alicia to listen. "It's just- I liked her so much, so much so that I would do anything for her, probably still would. Why wasn't it enough?"

His voice was starting to break and his eyes were starting to water. Quickly, before anybody else could notice, he cleared his throat and wiped his eyes with the palm of his hand.

"Lee it's not a matter of being enough or being worthy, I'm sure if Angelina had a choice in the matter she would've chosen you. You're so sweet and kind and funny; any girl would be so lucky to have you. But that girl just isn't Angelina and as much as that sucks, that's just life. So you need to grow up and get over her because she isn't going to like you like that. And you need to find a girl that will."

"Lee looked up from the floor and gawked at Alicia. Alicia Spinnet was not the type for tough love, like at all. But the determination that lay in her light-coloured eyes showed that she wasn't joking, she had meant every word.

For a moment or two, they just stared at one another, the two of them shocked at both the conversation and each other. Lee's heart filled with warmth and his stomach danced. He grinned at her and it wasn't long before she smiled back. Soon she looked away but the smile still remained, glistening on her face.

Lee coughed softly, "Yeah, I guess I should."

"Yeah, you got any girl in mind?"

"Lee shook his head slowly before standing up from the booth with his hands in his coat pockets. He waited patiently as Alicia quickly slipped into her layers of warm apparel, his heart still thumping in his chest.

Soon they walked out of the Three Broomsticks and into the cold air that made Lee's nose go numb. It was snowing slightly and the sun was nowhere to be seen. They were walking side by side and the atmosphere had turned awkward, Alicia was humming a tune under her breath while Lee kicked gently at the snow that lay beneath his feet.

"I'm not sure if I could find a girl that genuinely liked me," he desperately said, eager to break the silence.

She scoffed under her breath, " _ **You'd be fine if you just tried a little harder to think positively.**_ Or looked a little closer."

Lee glanced at her from the corner of his eye; her dark curly hair starting to escape from her bun and linger on her face. Before he even realised what he was doing, he leaned over and placed a loose curl behind her ear. His heart was racing and almost as soon as it happened, he wished it hadn't. She stopped right in the middle of the street and squinted at Lee with a perplexed look frozen on her face.

He turned to face her, his eyebrows slightly raised and his mouth slightly open.

"Sorry. That was an accident, well it wasn't really an accident more like a mistake, not that you're a mistake you're not, it's just that I-"

She laughed lightly and placed her hands firm on his shoulders, "Lee, you did nothing wrong. You literally just touched my hair, that's it."

Lee nodded and laughed along, "You're right, sorry."

"She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. "C'mon Lee, Zonkos is gonna shut soon and I am in desperate need of some sugar."

Lee walked right behind her and savoured the feeling of her hand in his. Perhaps getting over Angelina would be a lot easier than first thought.


End file.
